Lucy Dunn Lucy Dunn

The SNP is beginning to tear itself apart

(Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

You could be excused for not expecting much from the first TV broadcast of the SNP leadership race. The hustings have so far remained civil and their content relatively repetitive. Everyone’s been very nice and, as recently as last Friday, even spent valuable time politely discussing their opponents’ best qualities. So last night’s fiery debate was an unexpected, yet welcome, surprise. All smiles from the start, the discussion fast faded into a venomous clash — a first in the contest, but also for today’s SNP.

For Kate Forbes especially, the gloves came off. ‘More of the same,’ Forbes announced during her introductory speech, ‘is not a manifesto. It’s an acceptance of mediocrity. We can do better.’ Not only a swipe at ‘continuity candidate’ Humza Yousaf, Forbes surprised viewers with such a conspicuous dig at current First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and her SNP. 

For a party that has always displayed itself as undivided, this debate well and truly exposed the cracks.

Next came the ‘I’m the only candidate who…’ round. Yousaf stayed firm on his commitment to stand up to the Section 35 veto and a ‘progressive agenda’, saying he was the only candidate who would stand up to Westminster. Ash Regan remains convinced that her road to independence is the most viable, proclaiming that ‘the SNP has lost its way’ and she is the only candidate ‘that has a credible plan to build support for independence’. And Forbes drew upon her experience as finance minister, claiming she was the only candidate there who had ‘gone head to head with Rishi Sunak and won’. 

Yet amongst the spear-throwing, practical steps to securing independence were nowhere to be seen. ‘Have you become the party who can’t deliver?’ asked STV news anchor Colin McKay. Yousaf and Forbes stuck to what they’ve said throughout this leadership campaign, that the best route to independence involves taking the time to win round ‘No’ voters.

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